Tenma Mirrors
"When the world falls into chaos, eight Tenma Mirrors will guide the eight-winged demon Tenma" - The Gyofukuji prophecy The Tenma Mirrors are mystical artifacts introduced in Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen. They are ancient artifacts of demonic power that were scattered to various places to prevent the prophecy of the demon lord Tenma from coming into fruition. Their collection makes one of the main motivations of the story and the focus of most of the story missions. At the very start of the game two renegade Fuka Ninja, Shu and Nagi, are shown stealing one of the mirrors protected by their clan and claiming their intent to obtain the rest, while their intentions with them remain a mystery for most of the story. But they are not the only ones interested in the mirrors. Besides Zen himself who collects the mirrors to stop Shu's ambition, there are the enemy ninja masters Usuba and Uzumushi who want the mirrors for lucrative purposes, and warlords Ichijo, Kazama and Kihan who keep them out of superstitious beliefs or greed while being unaware or the mirrors' true properties. The magic of the Tenma Mirrors is also responsible for the creation of one of the game's protagonists: Kaede. They are also the focus of the downloadable campaign "Mirror Spirits". List of Mirrors * Gongen: Formerly protected by the Fuka clan. Reclaimed by Shu and Nagi during the game’s intro. San’s reflection was caught in the mirror at the time of her death, creating Kaede. * Ashura: Formerly protected by the Gyofukuji monks, then reclaimed by Shu and Nagi sometime during the game’s intro. * Rasetsu: Hidden in Dandara Pass. Found by Akame and reclaimed by Zen in Rokudo Valley. * Mara: Formerly in possession of a corrupt merchant. Reclaimed by the Mosu Ninja and stolen back by Uzumushi in Rokudo Valley, then recovered by Zen in Zengen Town. * Unnamed Mirror: In possession of a Daimyo (Ichijo, Kazuma or Kihan). Reclaimed by Zen. * Yaksha: Hidden in Zengen Town and reclaimed by the Mosu, the stolen back by Nagi. * Dakini: In possession of a Daimyo (whichiever one wasn’t killed before). Reclaimed by Zen * Ragoh: Hidden in Hachitenmangu and reclaimed by Shu before the final battle. Recovered along with the seven other mirrors by Zen. Abilities Replication The mirror can create solid replicas of individuals who are reflected in their surface if specific conditions are met. Kaede is the product of San's reflection being caught in the Gongen Mirror's surface at the moment of her death, and she is described by Zaji as being as real as any other human being despite her supernatural origin and shown to be able to eat, be hurt, be poisoned and be capable of developing independant feelings and thoughts. Besides Kaede, Shu displays the ability to create copies of himself with the mirrors' magic. During the final encounter Zen manages to fell Shu only for the real Shu to reveal him as a weaker reflection, and hints at the possibility to create more before engaging Zen himself. Transformation During the final battle of the game, Shu reveals his intentions to use the mirrors to "become Lord Tenma", so it's possible that the prophecy of Tenma's summoning can refer to the channeling of Tenma through another living being or the transformation of an individual into a demonic form. This ability can only be inferred by Shu's words as it is not shown in any scene of the game. Summoning Besides the prophecy describing the summoning of Lord Tenma if the mirrors are used together, the downloadable campaign "Mirror Spirits" focuses on the mirrors' ability to summon demons, ranking from lesser oni to powerful oni generals. This ability can be used by the mirrors themselves without external influence if there is enough suffering to power them, and it is unknown if this ability could be deliberately used by someone. Resurrection Only seen during the game's bad ending "Reflections". Zen uses the mirrors to revive the deceased San, though his success is somewhat debatable due to San, while being apparently awake, remaining unresponsive during the scene. This is only accerbated if the cursed nature of the mirrors is taken into consideration. Empowering During the final battle Shu claims the mirrors' magic make him stronger even before realizing the ritual to become Lord Tenma. As evindence the last phase of the final battle pits the player with a much faster, much powerful Shu who unlike his clone in the prior battle can now use energy blasts and throws alongside his enhanced pyromancy. If the clone's strength can be compared to his original's, then it is possible the mirrors can empower their holder. Mirror Spirits "Mirror Spirits" is the name of the downloadable campaign focusing on the titular demons. Due to the suffering and death caused by the war in Utakata the mirrors become powerful enough to summon spirits from the netherworld into the human realm. These demons range from lesser oni to powerful oni generals. Some arrow messages written by Zaji explain that in the past legendary demons bearing the current names of the mirrors used to torment humanity and cause calamities until they were defeated and sealed by warriors, monks and ninjas. Because of the demons' names and the cursed nature of the Tenma Mirrors it is hinted that they were the instrument of their sealing. For the duration of the questline the mirror demons start their own campaign of destruction, accupating several territories of Utakata in the process. The missions' objectives is to eliminate the demons and their leaders before they cause more harm. Oni mooks can be compared to soldiers in terms of strength, while oni generals can be compared to Samurai Generals in terms of strength. Category:Shinobido 2 Category:Magic object